It has taken three years and millions has already been spent on signs, cameras and contracts, but the plug has finally been pulled on Manchester’s Clean Air Zone.
The Government announced yesterday that instead of charging motorists of polluting vehicles to use the region’s roads, it backed Greater Manchester’s investment-led approach to replace them with newer, greener vehicles and cut harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide.
The Manchester Evening News reports that the CAZ proposals – which were put on hold three years ago after fierce public backlash against any charging scheme – would have led to taxi and PHV drivers of non-compliant vehicles paying £7.50 a day, £10 for vans and minibuses and buses and lorries being stung for £60.
The newspaper highlighted Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s argument that the plans to cut pollution were made before the pandemic and “would no longer work due to rising costs prohibiting drivers from upgrading their vehicles”.
Alternative plans were then put forward, with local leaders insisting that they could improve air quality no later than the 2026 deadline without any charges for motorists. The previous Conservative Government still pushed for a CAZ in the city centre. Several solutions were considered until the current Labour Government announced its decision yesterday.
Integrated transport
As part of the drive to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Greater Manchester has brought all local bus services under its control and is introducing 117 new lower and zero-emission buses in the bright yellow Bee Network livery.
Continuing the investment-led approach, the Government has approved GMCA to give the region’s taxi drivers £8 million to upgrade their vehicles, on top of the £22.5 million the authority had pledged to upgrade PHVs through the Clean Taxi Fund. This will ensure that all non-compliant cabs and PHVs can be replaced by the December 31 deadline.
Mr Burnham said: “We are grateful to this Government for listening to Greater Manchester and for this vote of confidence in our investment-led approach to cleaning up our air. This is the right decision for Greater Manchester and it gives people here the certainty they have long needed.
“Because we have implemented the first phase of the Bee Network on time and on budget, the Government clearly trusts us to deliver and has seen the evidence that our approach is working. The Bee Network is cleaning up our air and keeping the cost of travel as low as possible.
“Its success is allowing us to remove a big weight of worry off the shoulders of people who need to drive as part of their job. We are grateful to Steve Reed and Heidi Alexander for backing us with funding to take our approach further and faster. We will now continue to work towards an all-electric bus fleet whilst investing in local traffic measures and supporting our GM-licensed taxi drivers to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.”
Groundbreaking
Minister for the Future of Roads Lilian Greenwood said: “Having completed the groundbreaking Bee Network buses, Greater Manchester is making fantastic progress in building a modern, sustainable and truly integrated transport network. Manchester will be able to reduce pollution from transport without having to charge motorists, and new, cleaner buses will help Mancunians get around easily while still bringing down emissions across the city.
“We will continue to work with local leaders to create better connected communities, meet our climate targets and make Britain a clean energy superpower as part of our Plan for Change.”
Air Quality Minister Emma Hardy said: “Air pollution is damaging people’s health and the environment. Its impacts are felt more by low-income communities, making health and social inequalities worse. To improve our health, wellbeing and the environment, we must improve air quality. Local authorities know their communities well and so they need to develop plans that are most effective for their local area, and I am pleased that Greater Manchester has found a clear way to reduce emissions without the need to charge motorists.
“I look forward to working with the teams across Greater Manchester as they put this important plan in place. Government will continue to take the action needed to ensure everyone has safe air to breathe across the nation.”
The GMCA has also been allowed to cancel contracts such as for IT, signs and equipment that were taken out ahead of the CAZ being launched.
While other city regions saw charging as the only solution to discourage people from using their non-compliant vehicles, Greater Manchester has demonstrated that there are alternatives that will not hit people in the pockets, especially taxi drivers and everyone else who drives for a living.